Thermo-electric battery.



PATENTED APR. 7, 1903-.

t l B.. J. HALL.

THERMHLEGTRIG BATTERY.

APPLIOATIONFLED JULY 16. 1902.

. .no MODEL.

, A y .5... ..0 U. ...7. m i U l .E M n/m///f/// c f/ /n .//I`

. 'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN JAMESIIALL, OF BARNES, ENGLAND.

TH ERMOELECTR!C BATTERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 724,572, dated April 7,1903- Application led July 16,1902. Serial No. 115,777. (No model.) v

T0 al?, whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN J AMES HALL, engineer, a subject of theKing of Great Britain, residing at 41 Castelnau, Barnes, in the countyof Surrey, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inor Connected with Thermo-Electric Batteries, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to batteries of the type known asthermo-electric, wherein electric currents are generated by. heatingalternate j unctions of bars of suitable metals, the interveningjunctions being maintained at a lower temperature.

The improvement consists in so arranging the parts in conjunction with asuitable furnace, heat-reservoir, or sourceof heat'as to form acold-air-inlet channel on one side of the heat-supply and ahot-air-outlet channel on the other side.

The junctions of the metallic pairs which require to be kept coolproject into or are in close proximity to the cold-air channel. Thejunctions of the metallic pairs which require tov be kept hot projectinto or are in close proximity to the hot-air channel. The furnace is soarranged that the air necessary for combustion must be drawn in throughthe cold-air channel,and the products of combustion passing through thehot-air channel are led away, so that they do not mix with the incomingdraft.

In order to extract the greatest quantity of heat from thefurnace-gases, I construct the walls or Wall of the passages oppositethe metallic junctions to be heated in such a mauner that they shall beapproximately nonconducting where exposed to the atmosphere, but capableof absorbing and radiating heat on the side or sides exposed to theheated gases from the furnace, and to produce a uniform distribution ofthe heat from the' gases I provide Where necessary a checkerwork of somesuitable material, such as rebrick, forminga heat-regenerative chamberthrough which the gases are compelledV to pass. The cold-air passagesmay be provided with a similar checker Work regenerative chamber whereneedful. The passages may be of any shape and arranged in any convenientmanner, the object being to bring cold air into contact with thejunctions to be.

cooled. This air carries back through the furnace heat from the metallicjunctions which need to be kept cool to the metallic junctions whichneed to be kept hot. A forced draft may be used in cases wherecombustion is not su thciently rapid or Where the passages oppose toomuch resistance to the air-currents.

Instead of a'special furnace as describedv hot air generated by furnacesused for other processes can be utilized in the apparatus, or theapparatus may be used to convert into electric energy the heat wasted incooling masses of metal, slag, and the like.

In the accompanying drawing Ihav'e shown by way of illustration, insectional elevation, apparatus suitable for carrying out my invention. 4

a designates the thermocouples; h, the airinlet channel controlled by avalve b; c, the flue leading the air to the under side of grate d; e, anash-pit; f, the air-tight door for clearing out the ashes. gis theheat-regenerative chamber, through which the heated gases pass to theair-outlet channel h, which is here shown as made of spiral form, andthence pass to the flue-j.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The regenerative chamberis iirst heated to the required temperature, the heated gases passingoff through the flue j to the atmosphere. In passing through the fluejthe gases give up thegreater portion of their heat to the ends of thethermocouples a. The upward passage of the gases through the ue j causesa downward passage ot' cold air through the iiue c, and this cold aircoming in contact with the opposite ends of the thermocouples a takes upheat therefrom and is thus warmed on its passage to the grate, which isthereby supplied With warmed fresh air. The regenerative chamber g isused in order to maintain an even temperature, and to regulate theWorking of the apparatus the regenerative chamber is furnished withsuit- V able valves by which it can be divided into sections, so thatone or more sections can be used, according to the heat required.

ICQ

Having fully descvibed my invention, what i I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

In a thermo-electric apparatus, the combi- 5 nation with a series ofthermo-electric couples, an air-inlet arranged to conduct cold airbetween the proximate ends of the couples, and an air-outlet spirallysurrounding the said ends of the couples and adapted to conduct heatedgases, and a source of heat ro with which the air-inlet and air-outletcommunicate.

BENJAMIN JAMES I-IALL. Witnesses:

F. W. GOLDBY, W. J. SKERTEN.

